How We Got Our Name: Skinny Sticks’ ​Maple Syrup A number of years ago, before we began to make the syrup, my daughters asked me what our last name meant. I did a little research and discovered that our name traces back to 1400’s England where it was spelled ‘Hoit’ and meant “tall, skinny stick.” It was used by the English Lords to describe the men of our ancestors at the time who were tall and skinny sharecropping Scotsmen. Over the years the name changed shape, and today our last name is spelled ‘Hoyt.’ Shortly after we started making syrup, I asked my girls what we should call our business. My wife overheard the question and suggested “Skinny Sticks,”. It seems like an appropriate name because it recognized the source of the product and it meant something to us personally too. How We Got Started: Our maple syrup story begins back in 2011. I was attending a trade show for work when a man came up to me and asked if I would like to taste something unique. I walked over to his booth, and he pulled out a bottle of wine. He poured me a small cupful, and it tasted wonderful. He made the wine himself out of maple syrup. I was impressed. I began thinking to myself . . . . I have some maple trees in my back yard . . . . I could make this too. So the next spring I made 25 gallons of maple wine. I had enough sap left over to also produce 6 quarts of syrup that year. From that time on, I was hooked. Our business has been steadily growing since that day, and I plan to expand again in the coming year.